Bush Administration Needs Comprehensive Plan to Stop Killing in Sudan

Pelosi: Bush Administration Needs Comprehensive Plan to Stop Killing in Sudan

Washington, D.C.-House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following letters to President George Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell today on the crisis in Sudan. Last week, Pelosi spoke with the President to urge his Administration and the international community to stop the killing in Sudan. Today, Leader Pelosi is calling on the Administration to quickly develop a comprehensive plan to end the misery in Sudan. Secretary Powell is visiting Sudan this week.

Below is the complete text of the letter to President Bush and the letter to Secretary Powell:

June 28, 2004

Dear Mr. President:

The humanitarian crisis now occurring in the Darfur region of the Sudan is a challenge to the conscience of the world. It will not be resolved without sustained and effective leadership from the United States, and we do not have much time in which to implement a policy that will free tens of thousands of people the threat of death by starvation, disease, or murder by members of militia groups backed by the Sudanese government.

When we discussed Darfur at the White House on June 24, I noted that, although there had been recent G-8 and United Nations Security resolutions on the Sudan, as well as talks between Secretary of State Powell and the Sudanese prime minister, a sense of urgency needed to be brought to this issue. You mentioned your hope that leaders of NATO and the European Union would join in an international effort to alleviate the suffering in Darfur, and that the matter would be raised in meetings related to the NATO summit in Istanbul. With those meetings now concluded, the visit of Senator Brownback and Representative Frank Wolf to the displaced persons camps last weekend providing some first-hand impressions, and the dispatch of Secretary Powell to the Sudan this week, I am hopeful that your Administration will be able to announce in the next few days a comprehensive plan to end the misery in Darfur.

It is imperative that the mistakes that were made a decade ago in Rwanda not be repeated in Darfur. The killing must be stopped and humanitarian needs addressed quickly, while there is still an opportunity to save many lives. We must not look back in a few months and wish that we had summoned the will earlier to do what we knew had to be done to address this crisis.

Mr. President, the discussion last week convinced me that you are sensitive to the needs in Darfur. I again urge you to make this a matter of the highest priority.

Thank you for your consideration of my views on this issue of such great importance.

Sincerely,
/s/
Nancy Pelosi

June 28, 2004

Dear Mr. Secretary:

As you prepare for your trip to Sudan, I wanted you to know the high importance I attach to your mission. It is critical that the humanitarian crisis in Darfur not be allowed to grow worse, and I urge you to make it clear to Sudanese officials that the United States expects their complete cooperation in ending the killing and facilitating the delivery of relief supplies.

You spoke with great passion to members of the House of Representatives last week about Darfur and your conviction that, unless the situation improves rapidly, and soon, thousands more people could die within a few months. I share that conclusion, and hope therefore, that the Administration will soon implement a comprehensive plan to bring an end to the suffering in Darfur. The time remaining to provide meaningful assistance is short, and it is imperative that we act quickly.

The record of the international community in dealing with events of this magnitude in Africa has not been good. Strong, sustained leadership from the United States will be necessary if the situation in Darfur is to be resolved in a way that demonstrates that the world has learned from the mistakes of the past and is determined not to repeat them in the future.

Thank you for your consideration of my views, and I wish you every success on your mission to Sudan.

Sincerely,
/s/
Nancy Pelosi